Labor Leaders To Map 2019 Climate Strategy In Sept. 12 Conference

Showcasing best practices for worker-friendly climate policy in the U.S. and beyond

Berkeley – The state of California has become a national and international leader as a cutting-edge laboratory for climate policy, but its challenge for the years ahead is to ensure that the benefits of the green economy are truly equitable and extend nationwide.

With that aim, labor leaders, legislators, climate justice organizations, and policy experts will meet Sept. 12 at a conference in Berkeley hosted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center to showcase best practices for worker-friendly climate policy for 2019 and beyond. Labor in the Climate Transition: Charting the Roadmap for 2019 and Beyond is an official affiliate event of the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit.

“Labor is and must be a critical player in climate decisions that are not only good for the planet but good for working people,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “Policymakers need to make sure the new climate goals benefit the people who do the hard work fighting the fires, generating the energy and retrofitting buildings, as well as those performing the skills within the new economy.”

Labor unions are becoming key allies in the climate action movement – helping pass legislation, building alliances, and doing the hard work of reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the California economy. “Workers must be key partners in the clean-energy transition,” said Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation. “When working people have a seat at the table, we can ensure the low-carbon economy produces lasting environmental and health benefits like cleaner air and water. And we can boost the economy with good, middle-class jobs that strengthen our communities.”

“Among policymakers and researchers, there’s increasing attention to the fact that not all ‘green jobs’ are good jobs,” said Carol Zabin, Director of the Green Economy Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and conference organizer. “Climate policy has the unique capability to change that, and create pipelines to these jobs for workers from disadvantaged communities. But this won’t occur in a vacuum.”